China has accused the Philippines of creating tension in the region and urged Manila to show "sincerity" in upholding stability after President Benigno Aquino welcomed Japan's more assertive military policy.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made it clear on Tuesday he wanted an early agreement with his ruling party's dovish junior partner to ease constitutional curbs that have kept Japan's military from fighting abroad since World War Two.

Mr Aquino said after meeting Mr Abe that "nations of goodwill can only benefit if the Japanese government is empowered to assist others".

"We think that the relevant country should earnestly show its sincerity, meet China halfway, rather than creating tensions and rivalry and adding new, complicating factors to the situation in the region," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

Mr Hua urged Manila to "play a positive and constructive role" for peace and stability, "rather than the reverse".

Japan and the Philippines are locked in disputes with China over territorial claims, respectively, in the East China Sea and South China Sea.

Sino-Japanese ties have also long been plagued by what Beijing sees as Japan's failure to atone for its often brutal occupation of parts of China in the 1930s and 1940s.

"Because of historical reasons, China has maintained a high degree of concern about Japan's policy movements in the military and security fields," Mr Hua said.

China, she said, hoped Japan would "understand and respect the legitimate concerns" of neighbouring countries.